Is My X-Wife – Amy Patee.

Truly a wholistic practitioner.

Check her Website!

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Yoga House

Tucked cozily on the border between Minneapolis and Edina, Yoga House specializes in Ashtanga (“a precise sequence of postures with a controlled breathing technique”) and MySore (characterized by a silent sequence of poses that are tailored to the practitioner’s need) styles of yoga.

Chris Balser, who will teach Intro to Ashtanga on Sundays this winter, describes Yoga House’s philosophy as “finding the posture based on individual needs, not book-based aesthetics. We embrace the beauty in a person’s expression of that posture, rather than his/her flexibility.”  Emphasis is placed on the sensation (or, in yoga speak, “vibrations”) of the experience rather than whether or not you can touch the floor in Triangle or find lift-off in Crane Pose.

Because the Ashtanga method is most effective when practiced daily, students are encouraged to make a commitment to attend class at least three times a week.

I recently had the pleasure of trying a Gyrotonic Machine, under the instruction of local owner, Miguel Sevilla.  So hard to be “Macho” when trying a new sport/exercise/physical therapy.  When to breath, how to move… all my years of Yoga, not sufficient to master even the most basic movements.

http://www.studiosevilla.com/

Miguel is patient and a talented instructor.  Sounds like his wife, Susan, is too!

Here is an Introduction from Studio Sevilla:

Introduction to Gyrotonic

Designed to take the body “beyond its current limitations,” Gyrotonic training stretches, strengthens and elongates muscles, stimulating connective tissue in and around the joints and improving balance, coordination, strength and flexibility. Juliu Horvath, creator and founder, believes that exercise should be a creative and playful experience.

Gyrotonic training uses apparatus that permit the person to move with support and resistance. Gyrotonic allows the body to work in continuous, flowing movements and is synchronized with corresponding breathing patterns. Advocates of the work say it enhances aerobic and cardiovascular stimulation and promotes neuromuscular rejuvenation.

“Gyrotonic movements consist of guiding the body through a series of circles and spirals. It helps us create a musculature that is strong but that also has the dexterity to allow the bones to do what they are meant to do. Furthermore, it allows the body to keep moving, without interruption, because of the circularity of the movements and the design of the equipment itself. There is no endpoint to Gyrotonic exercises.”says Matt Aversea, VicePresident of Gyrotonic International in Pennsylvania.

At “Studio Sevilla”, Susan and Miguel combine their experiences in martial arts, Pilates and personal-training, with a strong sense of curiosity and a tireless commitment to find the best customized solution for each person, according to their goals and possibilities.

One of the main trait in their approach of Gyrotonic is they don’t see it as “the best… or the better than…”technique, but as a unique complement to strength training, besides being a a complete movement system by itself. Therefore they are always looking forward to keep learning by developing new synergies with other professionals in sport/medical fields.

Quick ways to qualify the exercises in Gyrotonic;

-No compression on the joints… can work with herniated discs.

-Doesn’t need days off… no muscles stress induced, no lactic acid.

-Amazing results with golfers, tennis players, and all unilateral sports.

-Also very good in complement of hard-on-the-body type of  sports; excellent way to unwind in between heavy sessions.

-Improves coordination, body awareness, proprioception.

-Works the mind and the body at the same time, therefore obvious anti-stress effect.

Miguel and Susan

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Almost 20 years ago now, I was in the dining hall of Macalester College. A freshman in college- I was angry and overcompensating for shyness like most of my peers. I sat looking around the tables trying to determine who were “my people”. Then, suddenly someone tapped me on the leg under my table- I looked down and there was Alexis Cairns. She signaled for me to be quiet and then she held her fingers like a fake gun and jumped out at Heather Mickman who was passing by my table. All 5’10” of Alexis emerged in a short tunic skirt rolled up with running shorts underneath and she had on a men’s blazer- it was some kind of interpretation of 80’s pop and punk at the same time but was original and would become the iconic style of Alexis for the next four years. Heather had bright pink hair and laughed a deep laugh of joy that was completely contagious. It seemed I had found some of my people.

Alexis became a great friend. Not only was she a friend, she was a leader among us- a motley group of misfits from wherever we were from. She never acted shy. She always spoke her mind. She loved to paint, sculpt and she loved literature. She was a talented artist and could sketch something- like a lemon- and it would look like it had a soul. For work, she worked with tireless energy on the grounds of the campus with a group of men with whom she made strong friendships. Well, that was how it was everywhere she went- she made friends. It’s because she made people feel loved and accepted. She could break through someone’s awkwardness with a direct lighthearted joke in her large, shining, intelligent blue eyes. But, when someone acted badly or did something mean or out of character, she would not hesitate to say so. It seemed at times you could honestly see her feelings get personally hurt when someone did something mean even if it was not directed at her. “Mean. Why do they have to be so mean?” She might be talking about cruelty to animals or a popular crowd teasing someone. She was not afraid to expect that people should, if nothing else, be kind to each other.

She did have an aversion though for things conventional and for posturing. But instead of getting angry or being cruel she would just ask the question while laughing “What is going on here? Why are you acting like that?” She might also say “That is outrageous!” and it could mean something was just ridiculous or it might mean she loved it- you could tell just by how her laugh came out following it. But, she said it with love either way. She gave rhythm and personality to our class at Macalester. She made every party fun and she was hands down the best dancer. She came up with the most wild costumes for all of us and loved T.Rex before it was back in fashion. She started a parody of girl band called “Blonde La Monde” the name alone expressing her humor. And, she just generally made everything more interesting. But, she had a serious side. She studied seriously, rarely missed work and when she saw a dear friend struggling- she would brood on it and take the problem inward trying to help. She had a huge impact on how I saw the world and the love she brought to her friendship with me made me understand and love my strengths better and also see clearly where I could improve. I think she did that for all of her friends. But, the thing is she never required change- she loved us just as we were, flaws and all.

Up until now, this has been in the past tense and I want to clarify that Alexis STILL does this for all of those she loves. She still makes us laugh, still loves us just as we are, still makes us strong and still shows us a better way to be. But, her life is very different. Alexis became ill in 2001. She was living in soho in NYC when we suffered the trauma of 9/11. She was affected deeply by this disaster. No doctors know if something she inhaled at that time set of a domino effect that would lead to her illness, if she suffers from an elusive viral infection or what exactly occurred. But, over these past ten years, Alexis has become more and more ill with ME/CFS. She moved back to St. Paul seven years ago and has become so weak and her central nervous system so damaged by this disease, that she cannot leave her apartment, her vision is impaired and now her hearing is beginning to go. This beautiful, genuinely kind and intensely strong woman is suffering from a disease very poorly understood in the medical world. There are glimmers of hope in research from time to time. But, as her condition worsens, the research is not moving fast enough.

How does this have to do with yoga? So much of what I have learned in yoga about kindness, surrender, freedom and truth I know Alexis knew about long before me. She is a yogi in her own right, she has given so much to all in her life. I want to do whatever I can to serve her now and give back something, anything I can to help her and to honor her and all those suffering from this awful disease. So, the studio will donate all it can every month indefinitely to the Whittemore Peterson Institute a group that focuses on research for this disease. As long as we believe this research matters…something good will come from it. As we learn in yoga- what you believe can manifest itself. So here the studio shows its belief that this disease can be treated and that she can be helped.

To learn more about ME/CFS, The Whittemore Peterson Institute and Alexis’ story follow these links:

Video about ME/CFS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFUwg01brEk

Lex’s blog: http://thecornerroom.tumblr.com/

Whittemore Peterson Institute site: http://www.wpinstitute.org/

I came across Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs when I was reading and have been relating it to my practice this week. In it, the base levels are the need for an individual to have nutrients first (air, water, food) and then stability of home and the physical self. The hierarchy then reaches into a need for social interaction then esteem needs. Finally an individual can reach a state of self actualization in which they are living a fully harmonious life without concern for any of these lower states. The individual can see truth clearly. It sounds a lot like yoga to me (also a lot like the chakras and the vayus): start with your breath, learn your foundations and then you can lift higher- to open your heart to all you see and find focus, but ease in your practice and life. Then, eventually one may be able to reach a state of samadhi which sounds a lot like self actualization. Through yoga we can find a way to live and interact with no insecurity, no concern for safety and no fear.

But, what troubles me is that in our culture of yoga we see others and ourselves wanting to push through- get to the pose faster, burn away distractions lickety split and “purify” the crap out of ourselves. Like we are so trained by all we have learned in our culture to find the less self exploring or the fastest track version of something. I believe, in order to reach a state of freedom, you must start by meeting your basic needs. You cannot skip steps and you cannot doubt yourself. You need to slowly establish your base then you can move on to identify your deepest self, put absolute trust in it and from here you can lift up, you can open, balance and find freedom. You cannot just burn away obstacles with blood sweat and tears. There is an active, slow and steady choice and role you must play in your practice and in your life. And if you begin to do this, worlds will open up.

Margaret Schloege

www.invisiblebeeyoga.com

www.facebook.com/invisiblebeeyoga

This is a great yoga studio with fantastic teachers!

InvisibleBeeYoga.com

(You can also find us on facebook and twitter.)

Located in Southwest Minneapolis at:

2215 W.54th St. (off of Penn Ave. S.)

(763) 445-9642

THE NAME: Invisible Bee Yoga was named for a Rumi poem. “…Look how desire has changed in you, how light and colorless it is, with the world growing new marvels because of your changing. Your soul has become an invisible bee…”

OUR INTENTION: We pride our studio on our small class sizes, personal attention and friendly teachers. All of our teachers are 200 to 500 hour trained yoga instructors.  We primarily teach Hatha Yoga but do offer a variety of other classes as well including Restorative, Shiatsu and Prenatal Yoga. Hatha Yoga is a style of yoga in which the physical body is moved (asana) and the breath is controlled (pranayama) in order to purify the physical body and open energy channels of the subtle body (nadis). With this kind of purification the student can be prepared for meditation and deep relaxation. The teachers at the studio all believe that yoga is a holistic practice incorporating all aspects of the student’s well being and that through consistent practice one will find changes in themselves not only physically, but mentally and spiritually.

OUR STUDENTS: Because of our belief in the holistic nature of yoga, we believe that yoga is intended for all people- young and old, injured and not, shy and outgoing, those feeling lost and those feeling perfectly content…we welcome all students with open hearts and teach the individuals in the room. We do not believe that yoga is a competitive sport. We believe that yoga is a personal journey towards health inside and out. And we are here to simply guide you to find your own practice and peace.

CHARITABLE CAUSES: The studio donates a portion of its profit to a different charitable cause every month as a dedication to our practice of karma yoga.  This October’s charitable cause is the Whittemore-Peterson Institute which works to treat and find cures for those suffering from neuro-immune diseases such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

COMMUNITY EVENTS: We also hold a monthly community event (kula) to join our students together because of our commitment to providing a warm and accepting atmosphere that fosters a sense of community. The Invisible Bee Yoga community is one of acceptance, encouragement, authenticity and connection.

About the Owner:

“On the long road to discovering myself, what I discovered was other people.”

This is the thought that keeps rolling around in my head these days. I’m sure I stole it- or at least its sentiment from somewhere. But, the thought came to me for the first time about three years ago when I first got out to Minneapolis and was missing my New York friends so much. I discovered a yoga class here with a wonderful teacher who spoke right to me and I was reminded how through my trying times in New York and despite all the changes I’ve been through- the thing that has really awoken me to wonder and joy again is others. By listening a little better to the lessons others tell and by watching a little closer to see the lessons they provide through their actions- I have become more attuned to my own need for growth as well as the strength and love I do already have.

As I build this small yoga studio I feel occasional anxiety and trepidation. But, what keeps rooting me is my continual reminder to myself that this is about other people. It’s about creating a community, giving back to a community and teaching and sharing the wonderful gift of yoga with other people. Immediately, I am reassured that with that goal in mind I can’t go wrong…as long as that stays its intention and I never give in to wanting it to be “cool” or “lucrative” I can never go wrong.

(I wrote this a few months before Invisible Bee opened in May 2010. And, the wonder and joy that have come from working with our dedicated teachers and getting to know our regular students…seeing them grow in their yoga practice and sharing time with them is more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined.)